Hope and Sorrow Amongst the Stars
by pommedeplume
Summary: After sixteen long years Remus Lupin is reunited with his lover, Sirius Black who has been held by General Severus Snape under orders of Admiral Tom Riddle (also known as Voldemort.) Now with the promise of a possible cure for the disease that causes Remus to change on the full moon, Remus and Sirius travel across the stars. Warning: Graphic Violence.
1. Chapter 1 - Gone

Soft footsteps echoed through what used to be the throne room in the palace in the capitol city. Remus Lupin was alone, as he always was on nights of the full moon. The change would come soon. There was no stopping it. But at least here he would be safe. The only people who ever resided here were all long dead.

Remus stood in front of the throne where Queen Lily once sat. His dear friend and her husband, King James, had sat in a slightly less impressive chair just next to her. Both seats were no longer in usable condition. Voldemort's assault had devastated the palace and taken his friends from him. Wormtail, Prongs, and Padfoot had all been taken from him that night.

Padfoot. Remus hadn't thought that name in awhile. He tried not to think about Sirius too much. Everyone believed Sirius was evil and that it was he who betrayed the Queen and King. Remus had long refused to believe it. But if he didn't believe that then he would have to accept that Padfoot was dead, and somehow that hurt worse. Maybe he was still alive and Voldemort was controlling him somehow. That's what Remus wanted to believe.

Nevertheless, James and Lily were definitely dead. Their bodies had been found and buried. The prince, still just a baby, was not able to be located but was assumed dead. A finger was found that was identified as belonging Wormtail and he was also suspected dead.

The pain was all too much for Remus. These last sixteen years had left him worn thin. The war had stalled for many years but lately the Death Eater attacks had increased and he was doing what he could to contribute but with his condition he wasn't always wanted he thought he should be.

Remus could feel the change creeping up on him and he tried to hold it back. 'Not yet,' he thought. He wanted control of his own thoughts and actions just a little bit longer.

He walked over to the mural James had added to the western wall of the throne room. It was of a night time field scene. A full moon stood in the sky and on the ground stood a wolf, a rat, a black dog, and a stag. They were symbols the four of them had chosen for themselves while attending Hogwarts Academy. The other three boys had felt inspired by his condition and chose animals they felt represented themselves the best and names to go along with.

James was Prongs, Sirius was Padfoot, Peter was Wormtail, and Remus was Moony. There was a time when Remus only ever heard someone call him Moony and never Remus. Now it had been sixteen years since he had heard anyone call him Moony. He thought of Sirius calling it out when he climaxed during their lovemaking and he felt an inner sting of pain.

Remus felt a prickling sensation all over his skin and decided there was no point in holding the wolf off any longer. He began to remove his robe but a voice echoed in the room saying his name and he stopped.

"Dumbledore," Remus said, not turning around. "You know it's not safe to be here."

"Oh don't worry. I won't linger for long. I just have some information I wanted to pass on. You must understand you are not always an easy man to find these days," Dumbledore said.

Remus stood there for a moment, his back still to him, then he hung his head and said, "I know. I am sorry. The transformation… it's getting harder. And they are coming more often. There was a time when I could control myself on the full moon. But not anymore. It's too much and I can't bear to be around others… I'm afraid of what might happen."

"Oh but you see that's what I'm here to talk about. Word from the edge is that a cure of some sort may exist."

Remus turned around sharply and looked directly at Dumbledore. The master of Hogwarts Academy and former advisor to the crown stood before him looking stern but friendly. His long silver hair and beard hadn't seemed to have changed at all since the first time Remus first met him nearly twenty years ago.

"Are you sure?" Remus asked, trying to hide his desperation.

"No. I am confident in my sources but the edge is far and I've never been able to actually get anyone on the planet," Dumbledore answered. He referred to a planet that for many years was only rumored to exist; a place where there were beings afflicted with the same virus as him. In fact, it was believed the virus may have originated there. But Remus had certainly never been there.

Remus had little memory of the attack. He had been just a boy, barely seven years old playing in the yard at his parents home. He hard a snarl coming from behind him and he couldn't remember anything after that. He next recalled waking up in the hospital, his parents by his side. They described a large wolf like man who bit into Remus's side (where there would forever be a large scar) and was quickly scared off when his parents came outside.

Remus was no longer sure the man had been scared off by his parents. He wondered if he only meant infect him. Well if he did then he had been very successful. Not a month had passed for the last twenty-nine years where he hadn't undergone the transformation.

Remus sighed. "Get back to me when someone has actually been to the blasted place." He knew he was agitated because the transformation was near. Dumbledore needed to leave.

"Listen, Albus," Remus started but Dumbledore walked forward, towards him. He placed a hand on Remus's shoulder.

"I understand you know. Sirius, that is," Dumbledore said.

"What do you mean?" Remus asked.

"I had a lover once. His name was Gellert Grindelwald."

"Grindelwald? Wait do you mean the Grindelwald who lead the enemy in the last great wars sixty years ago?"

"The same," Dumbledore said. "Are you surprised? Well, you see I wasn't always the man I am now. We all have things in our pasts we aren't proud of and mine are darker than most. Oh I was so in love with him. Hmm… obsessed really. We shared a vision for tech you see. We both believed it could be used to achieve immortality. But he took it too far, as you know."

Remus nodded, solemnly.

"I was the one who did it you know. Brought him to his end," Dumbledore added.

"Really? I mean I knew you were integral in ending the war. That's how you landed your royal advisory position. But killing Grindelwald… I don't know. I've never pictured you as the type," Remus said.

"Nor have I. And yet it happened." Dumbledore looked sad and thoughtful but said, "So, I understand what it's like to lose a lover. Not only to death but also to the wrong path."

Remus felt tears welling in his eyes. He couldn't accept that Padfoot was truly gone.

"Thank you for the talk, Albus. I can't keep the wolf at bay any longer. You must go," Remus urged.

Dumbledore nodded, bowed a little, then turned and left swiftly. Remus felt the prickles again and watched as grey hairs appeared all over his skin and he threw off his robe and felt the loss of self that came with the transformation.

When he awoke in the morning he was laying in the grass outside the palace. The sun was bright and nearly blinding and he was completely nude. He looked at his body and was pleased to find no signs of blood or any cuts or marks of any kind. It had been a good night, relatively speaking.

He thought about what Dumbledore had said about the planet on the edge. He wondered what life could be like without the transformations. Maybe he could have a normal life. But it didn't seem likely.

Once he had located his robe back inside the palace, Remus walked back down to the cottage that James had built for him and Sirius. None of the tech worked anymore but it was okay for place to come to after the transformations. He had left himself food which he ate and then he showered.

After the shower he sat on the bed he once shared with Padfoot. He could still remember what it felt like to fall asleep with Sirius in his arms, usually naked. The memory warmed him but it made him sad. He would give anything to have those times before the war back. To have Sirius back. But Sirius was gone. As Remus collapsed back against the bed and wept for the first time he accepted that Sirius was gone and was never coming back.


	2. Chapter 2 - Alone

Remus awoke the following morning back in the field, naked. He always changed again on the night after the full moon now. Remus felt hollow inside. Sirius was gone. He had accepted it at last. And the memories were flooding in more than ever. He looked at the dirt path to the palace doors that led several miles away from the palace and remembered the first time he and his friends had made that walk.

Fidelius was a planet of farmers and rural living and its capitol was no exception. Remus remembered being stunned at how the capitol city was nothing like he had expected it to be. The palace was surrounded by a massive field with a smattering of cottages and huts strewn about it. The capitol of the United Technological Planets being this laid back seemed to defy all logic, Remus had thought at the time.

But as Remus, Sirius, James and Peter had walked to the palace grounds they noticed that farmers were using tech. They didn't seem to rely on tech but it clearly enhanced their lives and routines. He was particularly admiring of a farmer of was using a robotic sheep dog. He hadn't been even aware such a thing existed.

At Hogwarts Academy, Remus had grown used to being surrounded by tech. And the place had a cold and serious feel to it. But the capitol was different. It was charming and warm and the walk to the palace had been nice. Halfway up the path to the palace they were joined by Princess Lily Evans. Her mother was dying and soon Lily would be queen (her sister Petunia was older but had ran away and forsaken her birthright.) Lily and James were engaged but James had never met her parents.

Lily had insisted that Remus come as well, seeing as we were best friends. Remus declared that if he was coming then Padfoot would as well. And at that point it didn't seem fair to leave Peter out so he was invited as well.

Lily was standing there and Remus was immediately struck by how beautiful she looked wearing a simple white dress and the sun illuminating her dark red hair and her brilliant green eyes. James had walked right up to her and kissed her. They lingered on a bit long and Sirius began to complain. James turned around and reminded him of all the times he'd been forced to watch us practically shagging in the dormitories at Hogwarts and Sirius shut up.

Remus turned around and at looked up at the palace. He remembered his first glimpse of it as they came up over a hill. Though in terms of design it looked much like how he expected a palace to look. It had spires and and domes and big open walkways. But it was painted in earth tones of red, brown and green. The inside was largely painted in shades of blue. Remus thought it had been beautiful.

Even now it was something to behold. There was lots of overgrowth and parts had been destroyed on that night. The night when everything had been ripped from Remus. Remus sighed and walked back to the cottage.

The meeting with Lily's parents had gone well and swiftly a wedding event was planned. It was a wonderful occasion. Well, until Severus Snape showed up. Even now Remus wasn't sure exactly what happened but he, James and Lily got into some sort of altercation that resulted in Prongs punching Snape and throwing him out of the party. Even if Snape wasn't such a creep who never had been able to respect Lily's boundaries who was also a Death Eater and everyone knew they were bad news.

To the best of his knowledge, Remus was the only one who truly knew the details of Lily's relationship with Severus Snape. Sirius and James liked to joke about how pathetic 'Snivellus' was for so desperately wanting to fuck Lily when they knew she would never let a disgusting git like him touch her, but Remus knew better.

Sex was something Lily enjoyed and she and Snape had been close before they even arrived at Hogwarts. Oh he and Lily had spent many late nights talking about her various sex partners of whom Snape was was a recurring player. And if Lily's opinion could be trusted he was a satisfying lover. But he wouldn't respect her desire to just remain friends and she wanted the freedom to have sex with whoever she wanted and Severus wasn't okay with that.

Remus laughed quietly. He was now remembering a night where he and Lily had been up very late discussing this one boy who's kisses were so sloppy and slobbery she called the whole thing off before they could even get as far as sex. Remus admitted that he had never kissed anyone and he was already harboring a painful crush on Sirius Black and was afraid if he tried to kiss him it might be awful and result in losing any interest Sirius might have.

Lily joked that he was so cute that she found it hard to believe no one had even tried. Remus had felt embarrassed but secretly flattered. And then Lily kissed him and soon she had him pinned against her bed and her lips moved hungrily over his and she slid her tongue inside him mouth. He had felt his cock stiffen and felt ashamed as he knew with Lily positioned on top of him as she was there was no way she couldn't feel it against her stomach. But she didn't seem to care.

They snogged for several minutes before Lily slowly pulled away and got off of him. She had told him he kissed just fine and that Sirius would be no match for a kiss that good. Remus had laughed and Lily gave him a peck on the cheek and he went back to his dorm then had a wank in the shower. He was glad that nothing other than a song had happened with Lily but it wasn't bad.

But kissing Sirius? Oh, Merlin that was something else. Snogging Lily had boosted his confidence and he had actually asked Sirius out to Sirius's astonishment. Quickly, dating had led to snogging had led to sex. If kissing Remus was like heaven then fucking him was like the best kind of hell.

As Remus reached the cottage again he went inside and collapsed onto the couch and remembered the first time he and Sirius had made love. Oh they had fooled around before then sure. They had made out and pressed against each other, writhing about and feeling their cocks rubbing through their trousers.

Finally one night, Sirius had practically begged to put Remus's cock in his mouth. Remus had asked Sirius if he was sure to which Sirius had responded, "Only if you are," to which Remus nodded. Sirius had proved to be surprisingly adept and pleasing Remus with his mouth and was able to take far more of him into his mouth than Remus expected. Sirius had no trouble at all making Remus come with a force so strong Remus was afraid he might bring the wolf that hid inside of him out at what would've been the worst time possible.

He and Sirius had then kissed and Sirius had asked if Remus would fuck him to which Remus happily obliged as his cock was already very hard again. Remus pulled out some lube out of a drawer that he sometimes used for wanking and lubed himself up and dripped some onto Sirius's anus then gently he pushed himself inside Sirius who was on all fours on Remus's bed, though there was hardly room.

Remus remembered crying as he and Sirius came together minutes later and the collapsing into Sirius and falling asleep in each other's arms. Remus had become hard thinking about this but he wasn't in the mood for a wank. Instead he got up and grabbed some fruit to eat. Remus couldn't remember what Lily had said these fruit were called but they grew on all the trees around here. Remus had always found them delicious.

Remus supposed he should prepare to head home. He still lived on Fidelius but far on the other side of the main continent and he only returned here for the changes, well, when he knew they were coming for sure.

A loud humming sound suddenly appeared outside and Remus looked out the window. He couldn't believe what he saw. Surely he was dreaming. It was their ship! But that was long since gone. How could it be here now?

Remus dashed out of the cottage and towards the path and then up the path as the ship landed in front of the palace. He watched as people exited the ship and he saw the Dumbledore was greeting them. And then he saw a familiar figure only he looked sick and thin. Remus refused to believe his eyes. He needed to get closer. He ran as fast and hard as he could until he was actually afraid he might pass out before he got there. The man's face turned to Remus's direction and he cried out, "Moony!"

This was impossible, Remus thought as he finally reached Sirius and embraced him, tears streaming out of his eyes. "Padfoot," Remus whispered. "You've come back to me."


	3. Chapter 3 - Comfort

Remus and Sirius walked into their cottage. Remus felt so overwhelmed with emotions. Not only did have Padfoot back but Prince Harry was back too and up in the palace talking to Dumbledore about Merlin knows what. Remus wanted to talk to Harry and find out what his life had been like but right now Padfoot had to be his top priority.

Sirius had been kept on a ship called the Cruciatus for the last sixteen years and had been tortured by Severus Snape. 'Evil git,' Remus thought while Sirius tried his best to explain on the walk down to the cottage.

Harry had been kidnapped by Snape on Voldemort's orders and brought to the cell next to Sirius's where Harry had finally met his godfather. A young man named Draco Malfoy was sent to torture Harry but when he was unable to follow through Harry took the opportunity to overtake him and force him to release both himself and Sirius.

They had been confronted by Snape and with that distraction, Malfoy ran to the hangar bay and Harry and Sirius had followed him, hoping to find a way off the ship. Instead, they had just barely missed Malfoy as he left and another ship soon docked.

"Our ship, Remus! The Marauder!" Sirius had exclaimed. Of course Remus had recognized it when it landed but he had left Sirius get excited about telling him anyway.

Turned out that Albus Dumbledore had hired this group of teenaged adventurers to rescue Harry. Dumbledore had, however, neglected to even mention to them that Sirius was there as well. Surely, if he knew Harry had been taken there within hours of Harry arriving there then his intelligence network must've told him years ago where Sirius was.

But they had brought him back with them anyhow and now they were reunited, just after Remus had given up hope.

As Sirius stood in their kitchen Remus had to admit that Sirius looked terrible. His skin looked much paler than he remembered. And he looked so thin it made Remus want to break down sobbing.

"Cottage looks the same," Sirius said.

"Yes. I haven't touched it. I only come to the palace for the transformations now," Remus said. "It's the one place I know no one is ever around."

Sirius looked around. It looked to Remus that whatever strength Sirius had been holding onto to get him through this ordeal had finally depleted and all that was left was an empty, broken man.

"You need a shower a bath, Padfoot. Let me run you some water," Remus said and walked through the bedroom and into the bathroom with Sirius following slowly behind him.

"I'm afraid none of the tech works here anymore so it will be cold," Remus said.

"I haven't had a proper bath in sixteen years, Moony. I don't care if it's cold," Sirius said.

Sirius removed pulled off the clothes they had given him in the detention cells, letting them fall to the floor. Sirius's body was in worse condition than Remus anticipated. He had burn marks from being tortured all over his back and torso. His bones were protruding in both his chest and hips.

"Oh, Padfoot," Remus said, tears filling his eyes.

"I'm alright, now. I'm here with you," Sirius said putting a hand on Remus's shoulder.

Remus turned on the water and the tub slowly filled. Once it was filled Sirius lowered himself into it. Remus got a sponge and wet it then gently scrubbed Sirius's body for him while Sirius relaxed in the water. This went on for awhile and they never spoke. Remus realized this was the first moment of true peace Sirius had likely had in sixteen years. He wanted desperately to roll back the years and give the time back to him, back to them.

At the end Remus washed Sirius's hair and then rinsed it off for him as well. Remus drained the tub and Sirius stepped out of it where Remus was waiting with a towel. He then did his best to dry Sirius off from head to toe.

"Thank you, Remus," Sirius said.

"It had to be done, my love," Remus replied and Sirius nodded.

"Let me get you some robes, " Sirius added and Remus went into the bedroom and opened some drawers then brought back big pink robe that Sirius used to love. Sirius smiled at the sight of it then grabbed it from Remus and put it on.

They went into the bedroom and Remus, who was still in his blue robe, sat on the bed and gestured for Sirius to join him. Sirius sat on the bed then slid next to Remus who then held him with Sirius's head resting on Remus's chest. Remus stroked Sirius's hair and Sirius began to cry.

"Is this a dream, Moony? Please tell me this isn't a dream!" Sirius begged.

"It's real, Padfoot. If it were a dream I would hope it would be a better one. One where…" Remus trailed off.

"Where James and Lily didn't die," Sirius finished for him. "Yes, you are right. Though I have dreamed of our reunion many times. I think I had given up hope. I thought I would die in there. They barely fed me. They tortured me on a near daily basis for years. I think once they realized if they kept it up I would die and then they wouldn't be able to torture me any longer so they slowed down," Sirius said. Remus continued to stroke Sirius's hair and even planted a kiss on the top of his head.

"And Snivellus," Sirius sneered. "Snivellus taunting me day in and day out. Feeding me lies and truths all rolled up together so that I never knew what was real or not. If Harry hadn't been there when I escaped I swear I might've killed him."

"I'm glad you didn't have to," Remus said.

Sirius sighed and said, "Me too. I suppose."

The two of them laid there together for awhile in silence then. Slowly, the sun set and everything was quiet. Remus assumed everyone had departed from the palace already. Sirius tilted his head back and looked up at Remus.

"Moony? Will you… kiss me?" Sirius asked.

"Of course," Remus responded and Sirius rolled over to face Remus and they kissed, lightly. Remus had never forgotten Sirius's taste after all these years. Remus could feel his cock getting hard but he wouldn't allow himself to give in to passion right now. These were kisses of affection, not lust and affection was what Sirius needed.

After a few minutes Sirius pulled away and said, "Moony, I want to make love to you. But I can't. Not yet. I don't think my cock has gotten hard in quite some time, if I'm being honest. But will you just hold me and let me fall asleep in your arms?"

Remus smiled and nodded then kissed Sirius on the forehead. And Sirius turned back over and rested against Remus's chest again. He closed his eyes and very swiftly Remus could tell he was asleep. Remus was not able to sleep so quickly. He wanted to savor this moment for as long as he could because he realized now that you never knew what terrible things might come your way.


	4. Chapter 4 - Passion

Several weeks passed as Remus cared for Sirius at their cottage. He made many trips out to the surrounding villages to get as much food as he could carry. Sirius's appetite was unrelenting and even in just a few short weeks Remus thought he had begun to look less thin and more healthy, like he remembered him. And Sirius was happier and beginning to act like his old self. But at night he whimpered in his sleep and Remus knew there was still more healing needed.

After a month Sirius even wanted to start going outside and enjoy the summer sun of the Fidelius countryside. Remus enjoyed the walks. It was so nice to have Padfoot back and to see him smile and even sometimes laugh. One place they had stayed away from was the palace itself, however. Sirius wasn't ready to be reminded of what happened that night.

The physical part of their relationship hadn't changed much since his return. They still cuddled and made out a little but that was all. Sirius wasn't ready and Remus was in no rush. And just being with him, here, at the capitol was enough.

One day they took a walk toward the northern village which lied on the other side of a small forest but they diverted off the path and found a stream that they used to come to when they wanted to have some privacy during their time spent living at the capitol and before their cottage had been built. They spent the day sitting next to the stream, Remus leaning against a tree and Sirius laying at his side, and they reminisced about the old times.

"Remember that time Peter brought James those flowers?" Sirius asked.

"Yes! I do in fact," Remus answered, laughing.

"James was didn't know how to react. What did it mean?" Sirius laughed. "Do you remember what James did, Moony?" Remus shook his head.

"He asked Lily what to do! And she to accept them and thank Peter," Sirius said.

"Sounds like her. Perfectly reasonable," Remus said.

"Of course, Peter said it was just a joke," Sirius said, shrugging. Sirius looked over at Remus and nudged him on the shoulder. "What's on your mind?"

"I was just thinking… What happened with Peter? How did he go from adoring James so much to helping Voldemort kill him?" Remus said.

"Peter was a fool!" Sirius said. "Voldemort would've had no trouble manipulating him."

"I don't think so," Remus replied. "Peter may have been a lot of things, but a fool wasn't one of them. And he was such a loyal friend. There's something else there… but I can't put my finger on it."

"I can probably think of a good place for a finger," Sirius said with a sly smile.

Grinning, Remus said, "I don't think here would be the best place. And anyway, I don't have anything for lubrication on me."

"That won't be a problem if I use my mouth, " Sirius said and pulled himself off the ground and kissed Remus passionately. Sirius was trembling and Remus moved his fingers through his hair to soothe him a little. Then without hesitation Sirius moved down to Remus's groin and unbuttoned his trousers and pulled out Remus's cock already very hard. Sirius stroked up and down the long and thick foreskin covered shaft and Remus looked down at him with desire and anticipation.

Sirius pulled the foreskin back and put Remus's cock in his mouth. Hands on the base of Remus's cock, Sirius slowly sucked up and down the shaft.

"Oh fuck, Padfoot. I see that this is a skill you haven't- unnhhh- forgotten," Remus said.

Sirius didn't even stop to acknowledge what Remus had said. Instead he was working Remus's cock with desperation and Remus felt himself edging close to orgasm. It had been years since anyone had touched him in a sexual way and this felt amazing.

"Merlin! I am going to come!" Remus shouted, forgetting they weren't far from the village. Sirius then stopped sucking and squeezed hard on the base of Remus's shaft and used the other hand to pull on his balls.

Remus moaned and his body tensed up and he felt his cock spasm but the hand Sirius had around the base kept him from ejaculating. And then Sirius let go and began sucking and stroking Remus's cock again, faster than before and almost immediately Remus felt another wave of pleasure and he shot his hot, thick load down Sirius's throat. Remus sat their in euphoria and looked down at Sirius who was grinning, proud of his work.

"Fucking hell, Padfoot," Remus said. "Where in the hell did you find that inside of you?"

"From inside of you," Sirius responded and kissed Remus again.

After a moment of kissing they decided to head back to the cottage for the night. On the walk there Remus wasn't sure if they were going they were going to have more sex or not. Maybe Sirius wasn't ready for more, he thought.

Once they arrived it was clear that Sirius was not and they went about their normal routine of cuddling and kissing. Remus didn't mind. It was very nice, in fact.

The next day Remus woke up Sirius wasn't in bed. He panicked and ran into the kitchen where he found that Sirius was preparing a salad for breakfast.

"Bloody hell, Padfoot. I worried for a moment," Remus said.

"Come on, Moony. Where would I go?" Sirius said, giving Remus a sarcastic glare.

"Good point. Sorry… I just can't bear the thought of losing you. I just got you back," Remus said and went to hold Remus from behind, his hands around his waste and kissing Sirius on his neck.

"Don't worry," Sirius said softly. Remus found himself wanting to move his hands down but he didn't dare. But almost as if Sirius could read his mind he said, "Soon. I'll be ready soon, Moony."


	5. Chapter 5 - Healed

Several more months passed and Remus watched day after day as the light came back on in Sirius's eyes. He wasn't entirely his old self again yet, but he was getting there. And their sex life was slowly reigniting, much to Remus's delight. Of course there was still a level of physical intimacy that Sirius wasn't comfortable with but Remus didn't mind at all. And after all he still had his own demons haunting him.

Remus did wonder at what point their lives would truly begin again. Sirius was better but Remus could see there was an emptiness inside of him, longing to be filled. For now, Sirius wasn't living, he was healing and Remus was doing his best to make the healing move swiftly.

Finally, one morning Sirius asked if they could go into the palace. Remus said nothing, only nodded. They left the cottage and made the walk up to the palace. Remus remembered the morning after Lily and James were murdered when he was informed by Dumbledore via hologram what had happened. He had been away from the capitol and was in transit back to Fidelius when he got the call.

The pain he had felt was horrific. All his friends were either dead or gone in an instant. He was numb when he arrived at the capitol two days later. The palace had been evacuated at Dumbledore's insistence. James and Lily had brought him on as royal advisor right after their marriage. With them dead what little power existed shifted to him.

The crown always goes to the oldest living heir but now there was none. Petunia Evans had forsaken her birthright and even if Dumbledore had convinced her to return to the capitol to rule he might have had a hard time getting anyone to follow her.

Dumbledore had decided that for now it was okay to let the UTP be ran with a limited government until after the war was over. Of course now, Remus knew that the truth was Harry had lived and Dumbledore had kept him safe with Petunia and her husband Vernon. After the war it seemed likely that Dumbledore intended for Harry to be crowned the new king and let things start anew. Well… if there was an end to the war.

Remus and Sirius made it to the broken palace doors and went inside. Sirius looked around at the blue halls and sighed. When there was an echo he jumped. He must have forgotten how badly the halls echoed, Remus thought.

"Let's go to the throne room, Moony. I want to pay my last respects," Sirius said. "I never got the chance before," he added bitterly.

"Very well," Remus said and they walked left down to the throne room.

Once inside, Sirius looked around with sadness etched on his face. "Oh, Moony. If only we could go back!"

"Hmm. It was a good year. Well, at least we thought it was at the time," Remus said.

"I just want to go back and have it be the four of us and Lily again. Well… the three of us and Lily anyway," Sirius said, clearly thinking better of leaving Peter on the list.

"Peter was our friend. We must never forget that."

Sirius scoffed but didn't respond, instead going over to look at the mural. Remus walked up behind him and draped and arm around his shoulders. Sirius was quiet and he touched the mural with his fingers tips briefly, then withdrew.

"You're right," Sirius said, his voice low and grim. "Peter was our friend. And somehow Voldemort made him betray us."

Sirius stood there silently for a time then said, "I wish there was something we could do." He then turned to look at Remus and suddenly his mouth was on his. Remus felt desire surge through him and they fell to the floor tangled in each other's arms and mouths drawn together.

Sirius pulled away and began to rip off his clothing and Remus did the same. When Sirius had finally removed his underwear Remus could see that his cock was very hard, to his delight. Sirius then kissed Remus again then whispered in his ear, "I have lubricant in my trousers. I want you fuck me, Moony."

Remus grabbed Sirius's trousers and found the pocket with a tube of lubricant. Sirius was on his hands and knees in the center of the throne room and Remus moved behind him. He then pressed his cock against Sirius's crack and slid it up and down.

"Don't tease me. Just do it, please," Sirius begged.

Remus opened the tube and poured some of the fluid on his prick and slicked it up. He then found Sirius's hole and pushed himself inside, slowly. It was perhaps too slowly for Sirius who pushed back to get Remus inside faster.

Once Remus had got as much of his cock inside of Sirius as he could he began to thrust in and out while Sirius moaned and began to stroke his own cock.

"Don't hold back. I want you to fucking come inside me," Sirius called out. "Please. I need this, Moony," he added, the desperation obvious in his tone.

Remus began to pound hard and fast knowing he could make himself come whenever he wanted, or in this case when Padfoot wanted it. Sirius pushed himself back into Remus nearly as fast as Remus pounded into him and then when Remus saw the signs across Sirius's body that he was about to come he felt himself tense up and pleasure moved through his body as Sirius let out several loud moans that echoed in throne room and down the hall as well.

Afterwards, both men collapsed to the cold stone floor and stared up at the ceiling, which had designs of clouds and birds on it. Remus knew he had to tell Sirius, but he didn't want to.

"Padfoot… I'm afraid I've been keeping something from you," Remus said. He realized the words sounded like he was literally forcing them out of his mouth.

Sirius rolled over and looked at Remus and said, "What is it?"

"There is something we can do. Something we can do for the war, that is. Before your escape Dumbledore came to me and told me…" Remus trailed off.

"Told you what?" Sirius said.

Remus sighed and said, "He told me there might be a cure. A cure for… my affliction."

"What? A cure! That's wonderful news, Moony!" Sirius said with excitement.

"I haven't told you the rest," Remus added, solemnly. "The cure, if it exists, is on a planet on the edge. It's the place where the virus came from. They may have a cure"

"If we get it then how does it help the war?" Sirius asked.

"I've heard rumors… rumors that someone is infecting people on Voldemort's orders," Remus said and Sirius's face went from excitement to rage and disgust.

"Why would he do that?" Sirius asked, his voice tinged with anger.

"Why does he do any of it? No one knows. But the point is, Padfoot, that there may be a chance to not only cure myself but everyone. But Dumbledore hasn't been able to get anyone on the planet. Hardly anyone is even willing to travel to edge and one they get there they are not inclined to explore strange planets filled with people who turn into savage beasts whenever a full moon is out," Remus said.

"So we have to do it because we're the only ones Dumbledore can trust who also have a personal investment in the cure," Sirius said.

"Padfoot, I can't ask you to do this with me. Not after what you've been through!"

"Oh Moony, don't be ridiculous. You couldn't stop me if you tried," Sirius replied.

Remus raised his eyebrows, said, "Would you like to bet?" and then smiled.

"Let's do it. Let's get the fucking cure. Let's go out to the edge and see what's really out there," Sirius said.

"Okay. But not now. We need to plan for this journey and you still need time to heal. And don't you dare disagree because it's as much for my benefit as yours. Do you think I want someone unwell having my back? Merlin, no. I want you at your best, Padfoot," Remus said.

"I'm always at my best when I'm with you, Moony," Sirius said. Remus rolled his eyes, but secretly was touched.

Over the next eight months they did what research they could. Sirius was strong and vibrant again. That spark that he had been missing had been rediscovered and Remus wrapped himself up in the passion of Sirius's love.

After much debate they decided that sneaking onto large freighters would probably be the best way to make it the farthest out to the edge. Beyond that they weren't sure. They could only hope they could find a smaller ship to help them finish the journey. But for now they had nothing.

They also decided that they would stop by Hogwarts and see Harry before they left. After all, they might not come back. Few ever did.


	6. Chapter 6 - Attack

Remus was seated in a cabin on the Hogwarts Express transport ship with Sirius sleeping next to him, his head in Remus's lap. He was quietly snoring while Remus pet his hair. Sirius was finally healthy and happy again. Remus worried about this mission they had taken up if for no other reason that he didn't want anything to happen to Sirius after working so hard to heal from his long years of trauma.

Of course, Remus knew some mental wounds would never heal. But Sirius in most ways now felt much like Remus remembered him before… before James and Lily died.

Remus looked out the window and watched as they approached the large space station designed like a castle that made up Hogwarts Academy. Remus hadn't been back here since they graduated eighteen years before. Remus didn't think it had changed at all, at least not from where he sat.

"Padfoot," Remus whispered.

"Hmph?" Sirius said and sat up. He then looked out the window and commented, "It looks the same."

"Yes. I was just thinking that," Remus said.

It was still several more minutes until the transport docked. As they stepped off the transport they were startled when several things happened in quick succession. There was a loud rumble that they both recognized as a large starship arriving, which was soon followed by the sound of a massive blast striking part of the school and then sirens went off everywhere.

"The school's under attack!" Sirius shouted then grabbed Remus by the shoulders and added, "Moony, my godson is here!"

"Get your energy pistol ready," Remus said and pulled his out from the inside of his jacket. He had made sure they both brought pistols for the journey along with as many spare energy cells as he could find in the vicinity of the capitol, which wasn't a lot.

Remus and Sirius made their way out out of the docking bay and made their way through the school and towards the noise at the front of the school where it was likely that Death Eaters were piling into the school.

Remus's heart pounded hard in his chest and he could almost feel a transformation being to creep in but he refused to let himself lose control in this moment. The monster inside him would only make things worse.

They finally arrived at the main corridor and they hid in an alcove and looked out to see that the large window at the end of the corridor had been blasted away and a ship that he knew was the Cruciatus had turned it into a docking point and sealed it up so that nothing would be sucked into space. As he suspected Death Eaters were piling out, led by Severus Snape. Worst of all a couple of people with his affliction ran out, fully transformed and on all fours.

"This is terrible. The school has never had to go undergo this sort of attack before, " Remus said.

"I've got to find Harry," Sirius said.

"Stay focused, Padfoot. You can't just run out there and look for him. You'll end up dead and what use will you be then?" Remus said.

"You're right, I'm sure," Sirius said.

Remus nodded then said, "They are all gone. Let's move out."

Remus and Sirius moved out from the alcove and crept forward across the main corridor. Remus didn't really have a plan but he could hear gun fire occurring at various points on the station and decided it would be best to make their way to those points as silently as possible.

As they turned a corner to head down another corridor that led past the great hall one of the infected beasts leaped out at Remus, its mouth snarling and a large sharp clawed paw swinging at his face. There was a sound of a pistol blast and Remus watched as the blast hit the creature in the side of it's head, causing a scorch mark and it fell to the ground with a thud, dead.

Remus looked to his right and saw Sirius standing there, pistol in hand, a determined look on his face which quickly turned into a smile.

"I'm a good shot," Sirius said. "Or have you forgotten, Moony?"

"Never," Remus said then gestured for Sirius to follow him down the corridor. It was obvious the main source of the sounds of fighting were coming from the great hall so they headed there. The body of a stocky red-haired boy lay in front of the door to hall, forcing them to step over him.

Inside the hall was a mess of gun fire and bodies of Death Eaters, students, and a few teachers. At the head of the great hall Severus Snape was aiming a gun at Albus Dumbledore.

"No!" Remus shouted as Snape fired upon Dumbledore. Dumbledore fell to the ground and moved no more.

"Snivellus!" Sirius shouted and began to take off towards Snape but Remus stopped him and pointed to the left side of the hall where he had spotted Harry hiding under a table with a blond haired boy. Harry appeared to have scratches all over his body, the red standing out against his dark skin, and Remus had a moment of panic as he worried someone like himself may have attacked and infected Harry.

As Remus and Sirius ran over to Harry, Snape and what remained of the Death Eaters exited in a hurry, their mission apparently complete. Remus recognized one of the Death Eaters as Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius's cousin. As she exited the great hall she made sure to look over and at Sirius but Sirius was too busy focusing on Harry.

Remus and Sirius crouched underneath the table and Sirius immediately grabbed Harry and hugged him, causing him to grunt in pain as Sirius had forgotten to notice the scratches all over Harry's body.

"What happened to you, Harry?" Sirius asked.

"I was standing at the window when the ship arrived," Harry said.

"I see you've ran into Malfoy here," Sirius said, gesturing at the blond haired boy. Remus realized this was the boy who had been ordered to torture Harry but had failed leading to Harry and Sirius escaping. Harry nodded at Sirius and the Malfoy boy looked down scowling.

"I think I'm going to go survey the damage and let you two catch up," Remus said gesturing at Harry and Sirius. "Oh, I'm Remus Lupin by the way," he added and extended a hand to Harry which Harry then shook. Then without a word Remus went to look around the room.

Most everyone was gathered around but Dumbledore but a smaller group of red-haired teenagers was gathered around the stocky red-haired boy who lay dead outside the hall. There were three of them, a girl, a tall skinny boy, and a stocky boy who looked identical to the boy on the ground only he seemed to have got an ear blown off by a energy pistol. Remus felt for this family and couldn't imagine the pain of losing an identical twin.

Remus looked around the room for a familiar adult face and found Rubeus Hagrid to whom he ran over to. Hagrid appeared to be crying. Remus knew how fond he was of Albus Dumbledore.

"Hagrid, I am sorry," Remus said and hugged Hagrid from the side. It wasn't really possible to wrap his arms around the large man but he tried. No one was actually sure why Hagrid was so big and Remus had always felt like it wasn't his place to ask. He wondered if perhaps one of his parents wasn't an alien.

"Thanks, Remus," Hagrid said, through sniffles. "Dumbledore was a good man. Didn' deserve to be killed by someone like Snape."

"I agree," Remus said. "I knew Snape was working for Voldemort but I still can't believe he would be capable of this."

Remus left Hagrid to grieve and went and found Minerva McGonagall. He asked her what he could do to help and she instructed him to help tend to the wounded which he gladly did, assisting the school's nurse Madam Pomfrey who Remus had a long history with as she had helped him with his transformations during his years at Hogwarts all those years ago.

Once Madam Pomfrey was satisfied that everyone was tended to, Remus helped with the disposal of the Death Eater bodies. They were all removed from the great hall and stored in an empty room where they would all be identified and their families notified of their passing. After finishing that task Remus headed back to the main corridor where he found Sirius waiting for him.

"Harry and that Malfoy boy ran off to bed. Together. I think their going to shag," Sirius said.

"I can relate to the need for some therapeutic shagging," Remus said and kissed Sirius before pulling away quickly.

"Do you know what I saw in the docking bay, Moony?" Sirius asked. Remus shook his head in response and Sirius provided the answer: "Our old ship." Sirius smiled slyly.

Remus and Sirius ran off to the docking bay where they found The Marauder. Sirius quickly entered the code to enter the ship which still worked to Remus's surprise.

"I can't believe Harry's friends have never changed it," Remus said.

"Oh they've changed nothing," Sirius said as they entered, gesturing around dramatically.

Sirius was right. The ship was completely unchanged after all these years. The Marauder's map still remained in the center of the main room. Remus suspected that it still remained the most in depth map in the galaxy and it's ability to remember ships and track their positions was unique tech the four of them had created.

Remus walked over the captain's chair. James had always insisted on being the one to captain the ship and they rarely fought him on it. Sirius always said that they should stroke his ego but then maybe a wanking motion which made Remus laugh, despite himself. Remus plopped down in the chair. James wasn't here today.

"Oh, Padfoot, remember the fun we had," Remus said. "Remember that planet where we broke down and we were right in-between two villages where one side had green skin and horns and the other had blue skin and tails? We needed help and we couldn't agree which village seemed more friendly. You and James wanted to try the blue skinned group but Peter and I wanted to try to the green skinned group. Then it turned out there was third red skinned group with horns and tails!"

Sirius laughed hard and said, "Oh Merlin yes! Turned out the person from the red skinned group was a tech expert and they fixed the ship in no time and then demanded payment. Merlin knows what James paid them but they walked away with the biggest smile I have ever seen!"

Sirius then walked over to Remus and kissed him hard, his hands clutching Remus's side then one of them moving to Remus's groin where his cock was quickly stiffening. Sirius began to rub Remus's cock through his trousers. He then unbuttoned and unzipped them, pulled it out then began to stroke the shaft.

"I want to ride your cock right here in the captain's chair, Moony," Sirius said.

"Go right ahead," Remus said and then Sirius flung off his clothing as quickly as he could but Remus didn't move, except to remove his shirt. Sirius pulled out a tube of lubricant and used it to slick up Remus's cock. He then positioned himself over it and slowly pushed himself down his large shaft. Remus bit his lip and groaned at the feeling of being inside Sirius. Remus had to admit fucking Padfoot in the captain's chair was a bit of a turn on.

Sirius began to pull himself up and down Remus's shaft while he stroked his own cock. As Remus inched closer to climax he began to thrust up into Sirius in motion with Sirius thrusting down and soon was pounding into Sirius's arse very fast and he yelled, "Fuck, I'm coming," as he felt his body tense and pleasure surge through him, and he ejaculated inside Sirius. Almost immediately, Sirius came as well, shooting his hot load onto Remus's torso.

Sirius collapsed into Remus and kissed his neck and Remus's cock went soft and fell out of Sirius's arse. They slept in one of the cabins that night and the following day they snuck onto a transport headed towards the edge that would take them most of the way to home planet of Remus's infection. Sirius was worried about Harry but Remus insisted that Harry would be fine. Remus hoped he was right.


	7. Chapter 7 - Wolves

Remus and Sirius had been hiding in the cargo hold of the transport freighter for a week and keeping entertained was proving a struggle. It was easy enough to steal a bit of food here and there from the cargo and also to sneak off to bathrooms but finding ways to pass the time was more difficult.

They talked for hours at a time about the old days and imagining what James and Lily would think about everything that was going on now. They both agreed that they would be proud of Harry and Sirius insisted that James would've put an end to Snape long before he could've killed Dumbledore.

And they talked about Lily at length. Sirius hated that Harry would never know Lily because everyone loved her and in the her short rule as Queen she was much loved by her people and she had plans to really turn around the entire UTP and push it towards a more democratic government (though one with a royal figurehead for the time being.) She was infinitely kind and had a knack for always seeing the best in people. Sirius thought he could see more of Lily in Harry than James even if he resembled James greatly.

They even shagged a few times but they tried to be careful not to make much noise. If Dumbledore hadn't been killed they would've had the benefit of his network to keep them protected but without him they were all on their own and Remus didn't fancy getting caught with his cock up Sirius's arse.

The trip out to the last station near the edge went on for several weeks. The supplies on this freighter would be used to supply several small planets nearby as well the station itself. It was a region of space known as Diagon Alley. Remus's hope was that once on the station they'd be able to bribe someone to take them to the planet of the virus's origin.

After nearly a month of travel they arrived at the station, known by the designation L.K.Y. C.L.D.R.N. but everyone called it Leaky. After getting this far undetected it was no problem getting off the transport also undetected.

The station was surprisingly filled with people despite how far out it was. It took hours but they finally found an individual named Stan Shunpike who called himself the conductor of something called the Knight Bus.

It was apparently normally a transport designed to pick up people who had gotten themselves stranded on alien planets and by some miracle they had once picked someone up from the planet they sought though Stan Shunpike didn't know it's name or if it even had one. He did however have a name for those infected by the virus: werewolves. Though the condition itself was called lycanthropy.

Getting Stan Shunpike to agree to take them there wasn't cheap but Sirius had plenty of credits in his account. The Knight Bus was fast and it didn't take any longer than a day to arrive at the planet which looked nothing like what Remus expected.

The werewolf planet was a giant forest that stayed green all year round. Remus had expected some place dark and desolate, not somewhere filled with life and moss and rain year round. Landing on the planet in the day with a light rain falling was a far different experience than he expected.

The Knight Bus left them at a spot near a village of those infected, werewolves that is, leaving them to venture into the village and ask about the cure alone.

The village itself reminded Remus a lot of the villages on Fidelius, though the people seemed less friendly. And from a distance Remus could see that they were human and spoke the common language. Remus decided to venture into the village by himself just to be safe. He couldn't risk any danger to Padfoot.

He decided to talk to a red-haired woman who was chopping wood. He approached as casually as he could but he knew that his clothes would be an immediate giveaway that he was an outsider.

"Hello," Remus said.

"Yeah?" the woman said, clearly suspicious.

"My name is Remus Lupin. I had a question," he said while she stared at him.

"Okay, Remus Lupin, what is your question?" she said, only sounding slightly more friendly.

"Well, you see, I'm a werewolf," he said. She raised her eyebrows then threw her head back laughing.

"Oh hey everyone! This man's a werewolf!" she said, pointing and laughing at him in mockery. Remus could tell this wasn't going to be easy.

"I've… I've heard there might be a cure… for our condition and that it might be here," Remus said.

"Aye," she said. "There is a cure. Well, they say there is anyhow. Man comes here every other morning looking for volunteers to test the cure. Sometimes the volunteers even come back. The others the man says required further testing," the woman said. This fact worried Remus but he decided to press on.

"But the ones that do come back?" he asked.

"Cured," she said. "They never transform again. One girl even got herself bit again but she's immune now, you see. Can't get infected again." Remus tried not to show his joy at this information but he nearly couldn't help himself. It was real! The cure existed!

"These volunteers… How are they selected?" Remus asked.

The woman shrugged. "Random, I suppose. Even knowing there's a cure, frankly, the man that comes round scares folks. Big scary bloke with grey hair that's all a mess. Nasty long yellow nails," she said with a disgusted look on her face.

Remus got a grim look on his face and said, "My lover and I would like to meet this man if we could. When will he be back?"

"Tomorrow."

"And what is his name?"

"Fenrir Greyback, he calls himself," she answered. The name chilled Remus, though he didn't understand why. In any event, they came this far and they owed it to themselves and to Dumbledore to do whatever it took to find the cure.

Remus said farewell to the woman whose name he never received and went out of the village to retrieve Padfoot and bring him back into the village. He had managed to find a small hut they could rent for the night for what little coinage he had with him. The man he rented it from warned that they were responsible for themselves and when Remus asked if there was a full moon tonight he said that there wasn't which was a relief.

Once inside the hut they quickly relaxed on one of the only pieces of furniture that was provided: the bed. In no time at all they were naked and tangled up in each others bodies in a state of pleasurable euphoria. Afterwards they both passed out even though it wasn't night yet.

But just after night fall Remus awoke with a familiar feeling. He could feel a transformation coming on and terror went through his body.

"Padfoot, wake up!" he said and went over and shook Sirius awake.

"Hmm?" Sirius said.

"Merlin dammit, I'm about to fucking change! You have to get out of the hut immediately!" Remus said. Sirius jolted and fumbled out of bed quickly desperately grabbing at his clothes and trying to put them on as fast as he could. Sirius then ran to the door and tried to open it but it wouldn't budge.

"Fuck!" Sirius said. "Moony, it's fucking locked from the outside. They locked us in! Bloody bastards!"

Remus knew he had little time before he fully transformed and he had to find a way to keep Sirius safe.

"Of course they have. They probably assumed we were both infected. I bet it's the norm here for everyone to lock themselves up so they don't get lost in the woods." Remus groaned in pain. Not much more time left, he thought.

"What are we going to do?" Sirius asked.

"Lock me in the bathroom. Just prop this old chair under the the handle and fucking hope I don't break down the door. Stay under the bed until morning," Remus said and went inside the bathroom. He shut the door and heard Sirius carrying out his request. He doubted the door would hold and as he transformed all he could think was how he would hate himself if he hurt Padfoot.

The next thing Remus knew it was morning. He could tell by the birds chirping outside and the sunlight pouring in from the small window in the corner of the room. To his horror he realized he was no longer in the bathroom anymore.

The bathroom door and the chair had been completely torn to pieces. He was in the living room and he didn't see Sirius anywhere. He did see streaks of blood here and there but he hoped it was his own from cuts he had likely got from breaking the door.

"Padfoot?" Remus called out. There was no answer.

"Sirius?" he added.

"Yes?" a voice from under the bed replied, startling him.

"Merlin's beard, Padfoot," Remus said and Sirius squeezed out from the under the bed.

"Are you shocked then I did as you asked?" Sirius asked as he pulled Remus up to his feet. Remus went into the bathroom to run a bath. Internally he was questioning the logic of not building these huts to be more werewolf proof but he wonder if perhaps growing up in these environments didn't have an affect on the wolves.

"No. I just worried that I had hurt you," Remus said.

"Don't you think you'd notice a body?" Sirius said. Remus shrugged. Moments later the bath was filled and he got in. After his bath was done he put his clothes back on and contemplated how they were going to pay for the damage to the hut. But then there was a knock to the door.

Sirius answered the door and a tall brutish looking man entered. Remus realized this was Fenrir Greyback, who would hopefully guide them to the cure.

"Hello," Remus said extending a hand to Greyback. Greyback declined to shake it.

"Heard you were looking to volunteer to help test the cure," Greyback said.

"We would like to see it if we could. I'm the only one infected, however. But I would prefer if my lover came with us. I'm a bit attached to him, you see," Remus said. Greyback looked at Sirius and sneered but then nodded in approval at Remus.

"Okay. Well, when do we leave?" Remus asked.

"Now," Greyback said and gestured with his arm out the front door.

"Ready Padfoot?" Remus asked.

"Always," Sirius said smiling but Remus couldn't mirror Sirius's smile. He had a bad feeling. Really bad.


	8. Chapter 8 - Revelations

The walk through the woods that morning and afternoon was nice, Remus thought. Well, if he forgot about their unsettling and mostly silent guide. But otherwise, it was sunny and there was a light breeze. They had reached a point of the forest that overlooked a valley and Remus thought the view was the most magnificent thing he had ever seen, though he shuddered at the thought of what a fall off the steep edge of the cliff would do to a body.

After walking for nearly five straight hours Remus finally persuaded Fenrir to stop at a small pond so they could rest and drink some water. Sirius had also bought some bread in the village for them to eat. Remus felt like they should be better prepared for this journey but in truth they hadn't been really sure how long it would take. When Remus asked, Greyback had merely answered, "Long."

While Remus and Sirius ate bread and drank water from the pond Greyback spotted a rabbit. To their utter shock he pulled out a energy pistol and shot the rabbit with a stunning shot. Though a stunning shot was fairly quiet it was still quite the shock as Remus didn't think they had tech on this world. The rabbit was slumped over and Greyback calmly walked over to the rabbit then picked it up and with a gleeful look on his face he snapped it's neck. Remus felt like he would be sick and he looked over at Sirius whose mouth was hanging open.

Greyback went back over to the pond and pulled out a knife and proceeded to skin the corpse while Remus gagged.

"What's the matter, Lupin?" Greyback asked, his tone mocking.

"Nothing… I just… I'm not used to seeing this sort of thing," Remus answered.

"Hmph. We're werewolves. Violence is what we are," Greyback said. Remus had no response to that. Greyback went back out into the trees and grabbed some branches and brought them back to the pond. He pulled out a spark maker and started a fire. More tech, Remus thought. He wondered who Greyback really was.

A short while later the rabbit was cooked. Remus was almost shocked that the man didn't just eat the rabbit raw. He supposed everyone had standards, even brutish people like Fenrir Greyback.

"I guess we can go now," Remus said.

"Yes, let's," Sirius said. "Daylight is fading."

Greyback silently got up and walked away from the pond forcing them to follow him. Rather than walking deeper into the woods he instead found another steep cliff edge and stood on it, looking out at the valley below.

"You don't remember me, do you?" Greyback said.

"Me?" Remus said. "No, I can't say I do."

"I never forget a face. No matter how long it's been or how much bigger they've become. Couldn't believe it when I opened the door and there you were," Greyback said with amusement.

"I'm sorry, I'm not sure what you mean," Remus said. Greyback turned around, his mouth open and his pointed teeth showing.

"I like children the best," Greyback said. "So much sweeter." Greyback licked his lips and Remus felt a little sick and he suddenly realized who Fenrir Greyback was and he felt the blood drain out of his face. Greyback smiled and nodded.

"He gets it!" Greyback said and pointed at Remus while looking at Sirius.

"I don't understand. What is it, Moony?" Sirius asked, quietly.

"He's the one who infected me, Padfoot. When I was only seven," Remus answered. Sirius had a look of horror on his face then glared angrily at Greyback.

"Oh there's more!" Greyback laughed. "You're not the only one I've been infecting with our gift," Greyback said. "The Dark Lord has provided me with anything I want in exchange for my services."

"Of course," Remus said. "It's you who is infecting people. But then why are you giving people the cure?"

"You assume there is even a cure," Greyback said. Remus began to feel weak as he felt hope slipping away. Sirius yelled and pulled out his energy pistol and aimed it at Greyback.

"No, Padfoot!" Remus said but it was too late and Greyback dove at Sirius and with a punch knocked him out and grabbed the pistol and tossed it out of reach. Greyback then snarled and tackled Remus. With a swift motion of his arm he cut Remus's face with his long yellow nailed hand and Remus shouted in pain. Greyback then slammed his hard fists into Remus's midsection a few times, knocking the air out of him and making him cough a little blood.

Greyback then lifted Remus up over his head then tossed him into the pond. It wasn't deep so Remus hit the bottom hard and landed on a hand felt his wrist break with a snap. Greyback then grabbed Remus's shirt hard and pulled him out of the pond and Remus took a deep breath just before Greyback pushed his head back into the water, attempting to drown him.

For the first time in his life Remus desperately wanted to transform but it wasn't night yet and he had since learned that it was normal for everyone to change nearly nightly on this planet which explained his transformation the prior night without a full moon.

Suddenly, Greyback removed his hand from the back of Remus's head and Remus quickly shuffled back out of the water and desperately tried to take in air as he watched as Greyback was on his knees, reeling in pain. Sirius stood several meters away holding his pistol, a triumphant smile on his face.

But Greyback pulled himself up and growled then yelled as he ran straight at Sirius. Remus tried to desperately get up but he felt like he would pass out instead, not really certain what damage Greyback may have done to him.

Remus was helpless to watch as Greyback began to pummel Sirius. Over and over again Remus watched as Greyback clawed at Sirius's torso and his fists smashed into Sirius's face with bone crunching force. Remus finally closed his eyes, not being able to bear the sight of Greyback murdering Padfoot. But he could hear Sirius still gasping for air and his screams were a slight comfort because it meant he was still fighting.

Greyback lifted Sirius up and Remus finally managed to pull himself up. As Greyback hoisted Sirius over his shoulder Remus wanted to desperately run over and stop him from what he knew would happen next.

Greyback moved to the edge of the cliff and Remus tried to run but fell to the ground, chin first. Sirius looked at Remus sadly over Greyback's shoulder then extended a hand which had a sharp looking rock that Sirius must've picked up before Greyback picked him up. Sirius thrusted the rock hard into Greyback's throat causing him to drop Sirius to grab at his now badly bleeding wound and Sirius wrapped his arms around Greyback who was falling over and pulled them both off the edge of the cliff.

Remus howled in agony as both men screamed on the way down.


	9. Chapter 9 - Desperation

Remus just laid on the ground for awhile, sobbing uncontrollably. He never even heard them hit the bottom but he had noticed when their screams had stopped. How could this happen? He had only just got Padfoot back! He had so many things he wanted to do with him.

All these nights he had imagined that they might find the cure and Remus wouldn't be infected any longer. They could go back to their cottage and fix all the tech. And there was a spare room and Remus had thought maybe they would adopt a child. It was war time and there was no shortage of orphans who desperately needed a home.

Remus pushed himself up off the ground and hobbled over to the edge and glanced down quickly then looked away. It was all the confirmation he needed that Padfoot was truly gone, forever. But Sirius had died to save him and he knew he needed to use whatever energy he had left to either get to safety before night or find the cure… if it even existed.

When they were resting at the pond Remus had thought he spied some movement far off in the distance through the trees but at the time he assumed it was an animal and dismissed it. But now it was all he had to go on. He found and grabbed Sirius's pistol. He seemed to have lost his sometime in the fight with Greyback. He had been so stunned at the moment that he hadn't been able to properly pull it out. He suspected it was at the bottom of the pond.

With what little strength he had he pushed forward in the direction that Greyback had been leading them. Remus wasn't sure if Fenrir would have attacked them if Sirius hadn't forced his hand. Maybe he really would've led them to the cure… or maybe not. He would never know.

As he stumbled through the trees he tried not to think of Sirius. But at least he had been brave. He thought of Sirius's face and the sadness that passed over it when he knew he would soon be dead and Remus began to cry again.

He wasn't sure how long he hobbled on but it was still very bright outside when he found the cabin. He didn't let himself get exited. It could be anything or anyone. It could just be someone's home. He stepped to the door and knocked. After a moment the door opened a young woman with short spiky purple hair opened it and he collapsed.

When he came to he was inside the cabin and the young woman was busy fiddling with vials and various fluids at a table on the other side of the cabin.

"Hello?" Remus called out. She stopped what she was doing and came over to the small bed where he lay.

"Hello," she said. "I'm Nymphadora Tonks."

"Hello, Nymphadora," Remus said.

"Just call me Tonks. Everyone does," she said.

Remus looked at himself and noticed his wounds had been tended to, including his broken rest which was now wrapped up to keep it from moving.

"Don't worry it wasn't a very large break," Tonks said. Remus was surprised as it had felt severe at the time.

"How long do I have until nightfall?" Remus asked.

"Hmm… about twelve hours?" she said.

"Wait… it's morning?" Remus said.

She nodded and said, "Yes. I gave you a tiny shot of Wolfsbane to suppress the change, at least for the night."

"The cure. It's real," Remus said.

"Oh yes. I invented it," she said.

"Why were you involved with someone like Fenrir Greyback and Voldemort?" Remus asked.

Tonks sighed. "I wasn't exactly given a choice. I've been working on the cure for four years. Death Eaters showed up two years ago and demanded my cooperation in exchange for resources… and not killing me."

"I'm sorry," Remus said. Tonks nodded, solemnly.

"Greyback is dead," Remus said, though it was Padfoot he was thinking of and a stab of pain coursed through his entire being.

"Good," Tonks said. "He's the only one of Voldemort's people on the planet as far as I know. They only wanted the cure so they could use it to control people after Voldemort had conquered the galaxy."

"I was sent here on a mission to try and find the cure so it can be used on those that Greyback has been infecting. Is it ready?" Remus said.

"Yes. I can only give you a vial of it though. I have a responsibility to the people of this planet. In truth it's been done for a year. I've been stalling in the hopes that war would end and Greyback would be killed or captured. I need to use most of what I have to give freely to those who want it while I make more. It takes time. But I can give you a vial and hope that your people can replicate it," Tonks said.

Remus pulled himself up and sat on the edge of the bed. Tonks went over the table and grabbed a vial. He suspected that she already had it ready. She handed it to him and he clutched it gently as tears began to stream down his face.

"I'm sorry… my lover died yesterday. He killed Greyback… and save my life," Remus said through sobs. Tonks held him for a moment and said, "Then take the cure and get it to your people as fast as you can so his death has meaning."

Remus nodded and pulled himself off the bed. This was exactly what he intended to do.


	10. Chapter 10 - Cure

Remus arrived back at the capitol a month later. It hadn't been easy getting the Knight Bus to come back to the planet but he had managed. To his surprise some of Dumbledore's contacts were at Leaky when he arrived. They called themselves the Order of the Phoenix and they had resolved to carry on without Dumbledore. They secured safe transport back to the capitol for him and the cure.

The trip still lasted weeks and he spent most of it trying to cope with the loss of Sirius and failing. He had only just got him back. It wasn't fair. He felt like the universe had betrayed him. But at least he had the cure and as long as he had that there was still some hope.

A shuttle dropped him off in front of the palace where he met a handsome dark skinned man he was told ahead of time was named Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"Hello, Mr. Lupin. I believe you have something for me," Kingsley said. He had a commanding and yet calm air to him that really appealed to Remus.

Remus slowly walked over to Kingsley and pulled out the vial and set it in his hand. Kingsley looked at it and smiled, clearly pleased.

"You could've just taken it yourself," Kingsley said.

"My lover died for this cure. I would never besmirch his memory by wasting it on myself," Remus said.

"Nevertheless, I'll be back with a vial for you as soon as we can replicate it. We'll have our best people on it," Kingsley said. Remus just nodded. Suddenly, something on Kingsley's body beeped and he pulled out some goggles from his pocket and put them on his head, walking away from Remus for the moment. In a moment, Kingsley seemed very excited about something and then pulled off the goggles and walked back to Remus.

"Mr. Lupin, I have some good news. The war is over. Voldemort is dead," Kingsley said.

Remus smiled and said, "That's amazing. What happened?"

"It was Prince Harry Potter! He defeated him… though sadly it appears he has perished too, though we haven't exactly found a body," Kingsley said. The happiness Remus felt quickly dissipated. Lily and James son was dead. Sirius's godson was gone. Remus had hoped this war would spare him.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Lupin but I must go now. There is much to do. I will be in contact!" Kingsley said then got onto the same shuttle Remus had just got off of.

It was two months before Kingsley returned on the night of a full moon. Remus had hardly left the cottage since then. All the pain was too much for him. Sirius gone forever. Harry dead as well. The only ties he had to the beautiful years with his friends before the war broke out were now gone.

"Hello again, Mr. Lupin," Kingsley said.

"Hi. Call me Remus if you like," Remus said. Kingsley smiled and extended a hand that had a vial of the cure in it.

"I believe this belongs to you," Kingsley said. "And from what I can see it's just in time." Remus merely nodded.

"Well, I'll let you take it in privacy. I must go. It was good seeing you again, however briefly. I am sorry it took us this long and until this moment," Kingsley said.

"It's okay," Remus said. "I've lived with this all my life."

Kingsley smiled and said, "Goodbye, Remus."

"Goodbye," Remus said and shut the door.

After the door was closed Remus sighed. He then walked over to the kitchen sink, opened the vial and poured it down the drain. Remus was no longer interested in being cured. In truth, without Sirius the only thing he had left was the wolf and when he transformed it was the only time he didn't feel pain.

Remus knew that someday he might transform and never be able to transform back. While he waited for the Knight Bus on the werewolf planet he talked to villagers who told tales of older werewolves who eventually changed and never changed back. They ended up running off into the wilderness. In truth, most died early deaths as most people's bodies weren't strong enough to handle the transformations beyond middle age.

Remus left the cottage and headed back up the path to the palace. Once inside the palace he went back to the throne room and removed his robes. As the transformation began Remus though of Sirius. He pictured himself in warm and in bed with Sirius, both of them healthy and happy. He would do this every transformation knowing that one day it might be his last thought.


	11. Epilogue - Regrets

Kingsley Shacklebolt knocked on the door to Remus Lupin's cottage and received no answer. He knocked again. Still nothing.

"Mr. Lupin!" he yelled. "It's Kingsley! I just wanted to see how you were doing?"

It'd been six months since he'd given Remus Lupin the cure and he'd heard nothing from him. He was certain that Remus hadn't left Fidelius or the palace grounds. But he was getting no answer at the cottage and looking inside through the windows he could tell no one had been inside for a time.

He then walked back up to the palace and looked around there. As far as he could tell it was empty though he did notice many new claw marks carved into the floors and walls and he felt a sense of dread. Lupin hadn't taken the cure he realized.

Kingsley decided to head to the nearby villages to enquire about any activity from a wolflike creature. Kingsley chided himself for not making sure that Lupin took the cure. He should've realized what the man had just been through and found some way of taking care to provide him some emotional support. He shouldn't have been left alone. Dumbledore wouldn't have made this mistake, he told himself.

As he arrived in the northern village he realized that he couldn't blame himself for Lupin's choices. But still. He couldn't help himself a little.

Kingsley spoke to villagers and it was as he feared. A wolflike monster had been attacking the village and other villages routinely. The people were doing their best to hide from the beast but some nights someone would pass out drunk in the forest and the next day would be found in pieces.

Kingsley asked if it was just once a month but every villager he spoke to said there was no pattern to the attacks. It was worse the Kingsley thought: Lupin had given into the wolf completely.

With pain in his heart Kingsley returned to the palace grounds and got on his shuttle and activated the communications panel. "Get me Mad-eye Moody," Kingsley said.

Within a few minutes Alastor Moody was on the screen looking serious. Moody was an expert at capturing Death Eaters but he also had another reputation among the Order of the Phoenix: werewolf hunter.

"Yes? Well what do you need, Shacklebolt?" Moody asked.

"Alastor, I need you to come to Fidelius immediately. I need you to kill a werewolf."


End file.
